With the start of each new season every group of supporters hopes their side can improve and kick on from the previous campaign.
However, it doesn’t always work out that way as some clubs are finding out in the early running.
Some of the clubs that have made slow starts are not going to come as a surprise to many with some well-documented issues both on and off the field often make a manager’s job more challenging.
Other sides struggles have been slightly more shocking.
With that in mind here are 11 teams from Europe’s five biggest leagues that have not made the start they would have wanted.
Read on to find out why…
Monaco
Current position: 18th
2017/18 final position: 2nd
Last five league games: LLDDL
Monaco finished second last season and were the only team capable of challenging the dominance of PSG however this season has been a different story. They have only picked up one point at home so far and have netted just eight times, an average of just one per game compared to their healthy 2.2 per game last season.
Despite the loss of Fabinho to Liverpool and Thomas Lemar to Atletico Madrid during the summer there should be more than enough talent for Les Monégasques to pull themselves up the table.
Should fans be worried: No
Rennes
Current position: 16th
2017/18 final position: 5th
Last five league games: WLLLD
Rennes were excellent last season arguably punching above their weight for much of the campaign but they have struggled to replicate it so far in Ligue 1 this season.
They have been poor on the road picking up just one point on their travels while also having a dreadful record in the second half of matches. All but one of the 13 goals they have conceded in the league have come after the break.
Their big addition, Jordan Siebatcheu, who joined in the summer from second division Reims has failed to score despite the £10.6m fee.
A draw at home to Toulouse stop the three game losing streak being extended but despite the side being talented enough to be solid it is unlikely they will reach the heights of last season.
Should fans be worried: No
Nantes
Current position: 19th
2017/18 final position: 9th
Last five league games: WDLLD
Nantes currently sit second bottom in the French top flight after ending last season as a top half club. That looks very unlikely this season and the start they have made will have many fans worried.
They have not won at home all season picking up just two points from a possible 12 at the Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau and manager Vahid Halilhodžić was dismissed by the Japanese Football Association before the World Cup in Russia after his players failed to adapt to his tactics or style of play. It could be a long hard season for Les Canaris.
Should fans be worried: Yes
Schalke
Current position: 17th
2017/18 final position: 2nd
Last five league games: LLLLW
The Ruhr side have really struggled to get out of the traps in the Bundesliga so far. This after a sensational performance last season that saw them finish second in the table behind Bayern Munich. The loss of both Benedikt Howdes and Thilo Kehrer over the summer appear to have hit the club hard given the poor start they have made.
Sitting 17th after six games may not be a disaster but it was not the start the club were hoping for. The lack of goals is a big concern with just three scored so far but a 1-0 win against Mainz stopped the rot of five straight defeats.
Fans will be hoping they can now kick on.
Should fans be worried: No
Stuttgart
Current position: 16th
2017/18 final position: 7th
Last five league games: LDDLW
Where have the goals gone? That will be what the Stuttgart fans are asking after their side have failed to score in four of the six matches so far.
New signing Nicolas Gonzalez has not found the net after joining from Argentinos Juniors for £7.5m this summer and the team has picked up just one point on their travels.
An impressive 2-1 over Bremen last time out might be the start of improved form but a finish as high as last season may be beyond them.
Should fans be worried: No
Hoffenheim
Current position: 12th
2017/18 final position: 3rd
Last five league games: WLDWL
Consistency has been the real issue with Hoffenheim this season. Currently sitting in 12th it could be argued that they are the victims of their own success but the fixtures have hardly been kind either.
In the first six games they have already played Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Liepzig with the only real shock defeat coming away at Dusseldorf but no need to panic yet.
Should fans be worried: No
Bayer Leverkusen
Current position: 14th
2017/18 final position: 5th
Last five league games: LLWWL
Defensive problems have reared their head this season for Bayer with the side conceding three or more goals in 50% of their matches so far. They lost goalkeeper Bernd Leno to Arsenal and Benjamin Henrichs to Monaco but 18-year-old forward Paulinho looks to have a bright future even if he is not that impactful this season.
The four defeats this season have also come against some very good teams with Bayern, Dortmund, Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg all triumphant in their games against Bayer but it is still too early to judge this campaign a disaster.
Should fans be worried: No
Manchester United
Current position: 10th
2017/18 final position: 2nd
Last five league games: LWWDL
Manchester United’s struggles will probably come as no surprise to many after the well documented summer of discontent.
Jose Mourinho’s unsuccessful chase for a new centre back this summer and the lack of new faces left a sour mood hanging over Old Trafford before a ball had even been kicked. Now a media storm is enjoying the soap opera that is Mourinho vs Pogba, one that most feel the manager can’t win.
United have lost to West Ham, Brighton and Tottenham already this season, conceding three goals in each of those defeats. They have already conceded 12 goals after just seven games this season when they only allowed 28 goals in 38 games during the whole of the last campaign.
The omens do not look good with performances well below par, tensions in the dressing room and a defence more leaky than a Welsh vegetable.
Time for a change? Watch this space.
Should fans be worried: Yes
Newcastle United
Current position: 18th
2017/18 final position: 10th
Last five league games: LLLDL
Newcastle have many problems but none bigger or perhaps larger than Mike Ashley. There can be no surprise that the Magpies have not kicked on after a very respectable 10th place finish last season which, considering the challenges, was an excellent achievement.
Newcastle’s biggest summer signing was Yoshinori Muto for £9.5m from Mainz, hardly one to get the imagination going. In fact the Magpies had a net spend of -£21.4m this summer leaving Rafa Benitez hugely frustrated and clearing fighting an up hill battle.
Should fans be worried: Yes
Valencia
Current position: 14th
2017/18 final position: 4th
Last five league games: DDDDW
With a squad so full of talent it is clear why Valencia make this list but they shouldn’t be panicking just yet. Despite the fact that they have only won one game all season they have also only lost the once.
Five draws in seven games is not ideal for a club with Champions League ambitions but a win away at Sociedad last time out might just remind them how to win and see them go on a run that their squad, on paper, should be capable of.
Should fans be worried: No
Atalanta
Current position: 16th
2017/18 final position: 7th
Last five league games: LLDDL
The Bergamo side took the accolades after an excellent 2017/18 and it looked as though this season would follow along similar lines. The club thrashed Frosinone 4-0 on opening day and then held on for a point at the Olympico against Roma in a dramatic 3-3 draw but it has not been plain sailing since.
In the following five games the Nerazzurri have scored just two goals and picked up only three points from a possible 18. The club should probably be expecting more considering the £26.8m outlay on transfers over the summer but in an off-season that saw many of their rivals also improve it could be that a repeat of the successes from last season may be a bit too much to ask for.
Should fans be worried: No
The post 11 teams currently underperforming in Europe’s top five leagues – and whether their fans should be worried appeared first on Squawka News.
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